See the Top 10:

Pai huang gua (Smacked Cucumber)

Smacked cucumber is a traditional Asian dish that’s especially popular in Tibet as a snack for picnicking. The dish is usually made with a combination of cucumbers, garlic, sesame oil, black vinegar, and soy sauce.

The cucumber is peeled and smacked with a rolling pin so that it’s bruised and starting to break apart. It’s sliced into chunks and mixed with the rest of the ingredients. The ingredients are tossed well and then served on a large plate.

The cucumber is smacked because it will absorb the flavors of garlic, oil, vinegar, and soy sauce even better and it will have a more intense flavor.

Tzatziki

Tzatziki is a Greek concoction made from yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, and numerous herbs and spices such as dill, mint, or parsley. It is usually served as a sauce accompanying many meat dishes, as a simple dip, or an appetizer.

Its name is derived from the Turkish word cacik, denoting a very similar dip, although some suspect that tzatziki was derived from the Indian raita dip.

Tzatziki is always served cold, and it is especially popular to serve it with dishes such as gyros and souvlaki. Often, it is served with pita bread as part of the first course of a big meal.

With its huge popularity, and the fact that it is one of the best summer dips, it is not strange that there are many regional variations of tzatziki, in countries such as Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Serbia.

In third place is the Mexican Aguachile (a type of ceviche that in its most classic version consists of fresh raw shrimp, cucumber, red onion, lime juice and chili in water, which gives the dish its name).

Next is the Polish Mizeria salad which consists of thinly sliced ​​cucumbers that are seasoned with salt and pepper and then mixed with creamy sour cream or yogurt. The main part of mizeria is a handful of freshly cut dill, one of the favorite herbs used in Polish cuisine.

The top five is completed by the Turkish Cacık , which is very similar to the Greek tzatziki.

Found in various forms throughout cuisines of Southeast Europe and the Middle East, cacık is a refreshing Turkish dip made with strained or diluted yogurt mixed with finely chopped cucumbers and minced garlic.

It is traditionally flavored with olive oil, dill weed, mint, either lemon juice or vinegar, and sometimes even oregano, thyme, sumac, and paprika. Cacık is served chilled and it is used for virtually everything from various appetizers to main dishes.

It pairs especially well with classic Turkish meat fare such as köfte and kebabs of all kinds. As a side dish, cacık is typically enjoyed in place of a salad, diluted with water and eaten with a spoon, like soup.

by PAUL ANTONOPOULOS

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The post Taste Atlas: Tzatziki Is The World’s Second Best Cucumber Dish – See Which Is 1st appeared first on Travel My Day Blog.